Thermometer clip



April 28, 1953 R. J. POKORNY 2,636,240

THERMOMETER CLIP Filed Feb. 21, 1951 INVENTOR ROBERT J. POKORNY L) BY 4 6w ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 28, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT ornca THERMOMETER CLIP Robert .I. Pokorny, Westport, Conn. Application February'21, 1951, Serial No. 212,039

The present invention relates to a device for holding a thermometer, in a substantially ver tical position, in a beaker or flask or other laboratory utensil, in such a way as to allow the thermometer to be read readily, without interfering with the experiments which are being conducted, and without interfering with the use of stirrers, which may be used in the liquids under treatment. It is frequently desired to' hold a thermometer in a liquid in a beaker or other receptacle, for a protracted period, while said liquid is being heated or allowed to cool, in order that the temperature of the liquid can be easily read, In other cases, it is necessary to maintain a body of liquid in the beaker or other utensil at a predetermined temperature for a substantial period of time. In such cases, the operator often wishes to use his hands for purposes other than holding the thermometer, while reading the thermometer from time to time.

The object of the invention is the production of a, clip suitable for holding the thermometer in receptacles of the kind indicated, which will be dependable in its action, and obviously the clip should be of such a material as to resist any droplets of the chemical solution being treated (which may be corrosive, e. g. acid solutions or alkaline solutions). While ordinarily the clip will be at all times out of physical contact with the body of liquid in the receptacle, when the liquid boils or is violently agitated, small drop lets of the liquid under treatment might spatter upon the clip. Obviously the operator would not want such small particles of liquid to corrode the clip, to form substances which would drop into the liquid under treatment to constitute impurities therein.

I have devised a simple clip for such purposes, as described herein, and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming a part of thi specification.

Figure l is a plan View of a suitable blank which can be bent into the form of a clip;

Figure 2 is an edge view of the preferred form of the clip after bending into shape;

Figure 3 is a side view of the device in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a view of the edge of a beaker or similar receptacle having the clip and thermometer applied thereto;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of what is shown in Figure 4.

The material constituting the clip should be a material which is sufliciently springy and resilient for the purposes indicated, preferably a material which will resist most of the liquids com- 1 Claim. (01. 24-259 monly used in the laboratory, in the manner indicated. This may be stainless steel or Monel metal or nickel plated or chromium plated brass or other resilient metal, or a chemically-resistant chemical plastic material.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, l0, shown in Fig. l, is a blank from which the clip is to be prepared by bending. This is provided with a longitudinal slit II, which may extend nearly the entire length of the blank. [0.

This is bent into the shape indicated in Fig. 2.

If the blank is made of metal such as stainless steel, the bending may be done at ordinary room temperature. If the material is made of synthetic plastic, it will ordinarily first be heated to the temperature at which such plastic is soft and yieldable. It will be noted that the bend I2 is made a short distance towards the center from the end of the slit I I. In this way the end l3 of the slit ll bears directly upon the thermometer. Also the sides of the slit 1 l, at bend [2, form a barrier which closely adjoins the thermometer on both sides, at l9 and 20, and similar contacts exist at 2| and 22. These contacts coupled with the pressure at the end H! of the slit ll hold the thermometer in place, against lateral movement or wobbling, even if the liquid in the vassel I5 is under violent stirring.

It will be noted in Figure 4 that I have put at M a dotted line to indicate the liquid level in the beaker, so that the bulbof the thermometer will be completely immersed in the said liquid. The upper end of the thermometer may project upwardly through the slit II at near its central portion. As is well known, beakers are commonly made with vertical side walls l5 having a flaring portion I6, at the top, and usually with a pouring lip. The top edge 23 may be a little thickerthan the side wall 15, if desired, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, to constitute a bead.

The mode of applying the clip upon a beaker or other receptacle can be clearly seen from Figures 4 and 5. The lower ends I! and [8 are separated, and slid over the flaring portion l6 of the beaker, and the thermometer is stuck down through the upper part of the curved portion of slot H, and by further separating l1 and I8, say with the hand, the bulb of the thermometer and then the neck of the thermometer is stuck down between 3 and the beaker wall l5, to such a depth as to fully enter the liquid in the beaker, or to such a height that when the liquid is introduced into the beaker, the bulb of the thermometer will be fully immersed therein.

The clip can of course be used to hold other 1% inches; the :berid jZibeing ofan inch from the end "of the blank; and the length of the slit H can be 3 inches. In such a case the dis;- tance between the two bends i 2 would be 3 inches. These dimensions are given purely by wayofi eX:-:

ample, and obviously for much larger clips to. be used on larger receptacles, multiples of the above dimensions would be iq litessuitablea It is important to note that the use of this clip does not in any wayaffect the readings on the thermometer.

Ielaim: 4

Alelipn device suitable iorzholding a thermorrv eter asubstantially vertical position in a beakersorflask, which device is iormedof a lo'ng narrow thin sheet of a= somewhat springy resilient material which is substantially resistant to the corrosiveand deleterious action of chemical solutions, the centralportion of-the length of' s'uch" sheetbeing bent intoaz substantially circular cross section,' and the: end portions of the length of such sheet-being bent:away:from'-=each other,

such: device being: adapted to he slipped over the top edge of such beaker or flask and to be held in place by the resiliency of such material, such sheet of material having a longitudinal slit therein extending to near an end of such sheet into which slit a thermometer can be placed, said slit extending upon a portion of the length of said end portion, and to somewhat beyond the bend between said substantially circular central portionand saidend portion, and the resiliency Ofsuchwlip': device being such that said clip device can he slipped over and upon the top edge of .a beaker or flask without danger of breaking such beaker or flask, and the said slit being of Substantially uniform width throughout its length, and the length of such slit being a major part of" the "length of said sheet when spread out flat,..the ;\Vidth,0ffS2.-id slit being sufiicient to inclose the stem of a chemical laboratory thermometer:

ROBERT J. POKORNY.

References Cited imthe filepofrthis patent:v UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name; Date, 255,013 Oleson Mar. 14; 1882. 1,318,503; Meyer,- Oct. 14,,19l9; 1,362,244 Earley- Dec). 14,1, 1920,v 2,427,883: Score et a1.; Septh23, 194T 2484,5341 Grant Oct}. 18-1Q$9 2,496,866. Flora .F.ebh 7,1950 

